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“Hi,” I replied. “How was your day?”
“It just got a lot better. Where’s Gio?”
“Playing with Sally.” As the words barely left my mouth, he swooped down, capturing my lips with the passion that was missing from the first kiss. His hand tightened on my waist, drawing me against his hard chest. I arched into him, wanting to be as close as possible, needing to feel every inch of him.
“Dad!” Gio’s voice echoed from the house. We jumped away like two resisting magnets.
“We’ll finish this later,” he said before opening the door and going into the house. I followed behind him and shut the door. Gio was already coming down the stairs at full speed.
“Look what I drew,” Gio declared as he jumped from the third step.
“No jumping,” Franc and I both said at the same time. We looked at each other and broke into laughter.
“Gio is turning you into a broken record, too?” he asked.
“Only for the greatest hits.”
“I don’t get it,” Gio said before thrusting a piece of paper toward us. “Look!”
“What’s this?” Franc bent to Gio’s height, or at least the best he could. Even on his knees, he still towered over Gio.
I glanced at the paper in Franc’s hand, and my heart instantly warmed. The butterflies we saw today covered the page, and in the middle of the swarm were three figures and a dragon.
“It’s us.” Gio puffed out his chest. “Me, you, Sally, and Quinn. Our family.”
Franc’s head turned toward me, our eyes locking for a single second, but it felt like much more. How was it possible for so many unsaid things to pass between us in the matter of a blink?
“It’s great, bud,” Franc said. “Why don’t we hang it on the refrigerator? Then time for pajamas and bed.”
“But, Dad…”
“No buts. It’s almost ten o’clock.”
Franc had been strict with bedtime lately, and Gio had been sleeping through the night. He said it was because I helped wear him out during the day, but I wasn’t sure anything could wear Gio out. I think Franc putting boundaries in place was helping.
Gio ran into the house and right to the kitchen. Franc and I met him there, and Franc took the picture and placed it on the stainless steel with a Vine Valley Vineyard magnet.
“Perfect,” Gio said. “Dad, did you know butterflies taste through their feet?”
“I did not know that.”
“And did you know their mouths are like straws, and they only drink liquid?”
“I didn’t know that either.”
“Quinn said we can raise our own butterflies from lava to adults!”
“I think you mean larvae,” I corrected.
“Yeah, that’s what I said. She said we had to ask you first, so can we? Please? Please? Please?”
“If you go put on your pajamas and get into bed for the night, we can look into it tomorrow.”
Gio threw his fist in the air along with his whole body before running off.
“How exactly does one raise butterflies?” Franc asked, rubbing his fist against his chin. His eyebrow lifted, making him look ruggedly adorable.
“It’s easy. You can buy the kits online, then set up is a piece of cake. I did it with all my siblings. It’s cool to watch.”
